The five million federal dollars earmarked for a visitor center and parking area at the end of Linden Avenue got one step closer to Cooperstown last week.

Congressman Sherwood Boehlert, who announced the multi-million dollar appropriation in May 2004, said last week that the House transportation committee passed the Transportation Equity Act which includes the funding for the village.

"Sound transportation and infrastructure systems are critical to the state and to the economic well being of any community, particularly a popular tourist destination like Cooperstown," Boehlert said. "When completed, this new intermodal facility will provide better access for visitors to Cooperstown and address transportation, parking and infrastructure needs for the residents of the village."

Sam Marchio, a spokesperson for the congressman said the full House is expected to take up the legislation this week. The legislation still has to be passed by both the House and Senate and signed by the President, a process Marchio said he thinks will be completed by the end of the year.

"This is a top priority for the Congressman," Marchio said.

The village is also close to owning a parcel of land on the Linden Avenue extension which it discovered it did not hold title to.

As talk of finding a solution to traffic problems on the Linden Avenue extension progressed in recent years, village officials and the many other stakeholders in the area decided it was important to have the area surveyed to find out who owns what. The village found out it only owns half the land it thought it did. Not only that, but the three new trolley and DPW barns built there are on land that doesn't belong the village.

Since the village discovered the snafu during the summer of 2003, village attorney John Lambert has been working to obtain title to the land and this week said he has reached an agreement with the heirs of the former owner who had leased it to the village more than a century earlier.

The descendants of John B. Hooker have agreed to quiet title, or erase all question of ownership, to the property, he said.

Lambert added that the property, which has recently been appraised at approximately $90,000, will be donated to the village. The descendants have agreed to assign their rights, if any, to the property and sign a stipulation that it is village property.

Oneonta attorney Walter Terry, who represents the descendants, confirmed that an agreement has been reached and that they are now waiting for the paperwork to be completed.

The village also has a $200,000 state grant to be used for a solution to the long-standing problems at the Linden Avenue extension.

Mayor Carol Waller said Tuesday that only about $1,800 has been spent to pave a small area around the trolley barn.

Last week in her annual State of the Village message, Waller said, "Linden Avenue is progressing very well...and we are well along in the planning for the improvement of the Linden Avenue traffic situation."

But on Tuesday, the mayor declined to comment in any detail about the planning for the Linden Avenue project.

"I can't comment, but it is progressing," she said.

No details of the proposed project have been discussed by the board of trustees during the ten months since Boehlert announced the $5 million appropriation.

And the periodic public meetings of the numerous stakeholders in the area: the Cooperstown Central School, Cooperstown Youth Baseball, the village, Leatherstocking Railway Historical Society, the town of Otsego and Bassett Hospital have ceased.

Waller did say that she expects to call for a meeting of the stakeholders with the next month or so.

Bassett Hospital vice-president Joe Middleton said Tuesday that his office has been working on a request for proposals, or RFP, to solicit planning services the Linden Avenue project based on the interests and needs of the many stakeholders.

The RFP, he said, is now in the final editing stage and he is waiting for input from the village, town of Otsego, Cooperstown Central School and other parties.

The firm selected to provide planning services will have to look at everybody's wants and needs and create a balance for the project, Middleton said.

He expects final editing of the RFP to be completed this week.

When the RFP is released will be up to the village, Middleton said.